- quoteThere is a "legend of Kappa" in Jozankei hot springs.
And Kappa is a mascot of Jozankei. "Kappa road" was named for "Kappa" and also there is a "Kappa" designed drinking fountain. Do you know there is a openwork "Kappa" on handrail of Tsukimi-bridge over Toyohira River?
Fairy tale kappa statues which are seen everywhere in the hotspring town are based on ideas given by residents of Sapporo, and made by sculptors from both inside and outside of Hokkaido .
Enjoy walking, guessing what kind of "kappa" you will run into...

Until the Choshiguchi hydroelectric power plant was built in 1908, the water flow of the Toyohira River was big enough to wash out logs (for straight-grained boards) of the interior of the mountain down the river. There were also many big river fishes inhabited everywhere in the deep channels. Around that time, there was a young boy, named a Mr. Seyama, who was working for road works. When he was fishing by one of the deep pools of the river, all of sudden he was sucked down into the bottom of the river, even though he did not miss his footing. Villagers who were working to wash out the logs down the river saw the boy being sucked into the river, and immediately jumped into the river to try to rescue him.

But the river was so deep that they could not rescue him, and at the end the days passed without being able to find the boy. A year later, on the night of the first memorial service for the boy, the young boy appeared in his father’s dream and said, “I am living happily with a water goblin wife and a child.” The most handsome boy in the village was probably charmed by the goblin wife living in the river. Since then, the area has been called as the goblin’s pool, and there has been no one who goes missing.

- quoteSome say the Kappa is of Ainu origin, . . .
The Ainu, Japan’s earliest inhabitants, live primarily in Hokkaido, the northernmost island, and their folklore is rich in imagery and monsters. Near Sapporo, the main city in Hokkaido, is an area called Jozankei, home to the “Great Kappa King” and the “Kappa Buchi Legend.” However, the Jozankei legends are probably not of Ainu origin. According to the Angelfire web site:
The Ainu believe in a magical connection between trees and humans. For example, when a certain tree is cut down a girl will die. They feel that willows are like living humans and make miniature sacrificial willows from willow peelings (see also Willoughby-Meade, Chinese Ghouls and Goblins for more). The Ainu are also known for their Shamanistic beliefs and practices (perhaps of Siberian origin).
... Ainu tales ... One story in the collection is called The Old Man of the Sea (Atui Koro Ekashi). It describes an ocean monster able to swallow ships and whales.

The symbol of Jozankei Valley is the Kappa, the water sprite.
Jozankei (valley) 定山渓温泉 is a hot spring area and spa near Toyohiragawa River in southwest Sapporo (Hokkaido). Called "Sapporo's Back Parlor," the spa is surrounded by mountains, and was discovered by a monk called Jozan, and named after this monk for the efforts he made to develop it. The Kappa is the guardian spirit of the area. Local legend tells of a young boy who fell into a deep pool, where he was taken to the land of the Kappa, and lived happily thereafter. Approximately 23 Kappa stand in various poses around the spa town, including the Great Kappa King. There is also a Kappa Pool, which becomes very lively during the Kappa Festival that takes place in early August.

Kappa-Buchi (Kappa Pool) Legend in Jozankei 定山渓
According to local folklore, a young man was fishing in a deep pool in Jozankei, but fell in and never surfaced. Months later he appeared in his father's dreams to say he was living happily with the Kappa, and his Kappa wife and child. The pool is named “Kappa-buchi," or kappa pool, in light of this legend.- source : Mark Schumacher